Thread: Driving habits- what are yours?

Originally Posted by PapaBull

I think first and foremost, being a cooperative driver is most important. Everyone is trying to go somewhere and everyone is comfortable at different speeds and different conditions

Agree 100%

Don't have any...changes every time I drive...Scares the hell out of me!

I try and drive to the conditions of the road. I do develop a relatively agressive style when driving in traffic though.

If its a pedestrian heavy area I never go above the speed limit.

Those who blithely drive bang on the speed limit whatever the conditions annoy me as much as those who drive ridiciously slowly (if your uncomfortable driving dont do it).

when it was me in my rear wheel drive convertable, i sped a lot more and loved wet corners. i can understand where drifting started out.

now i tote the kiddos, and the wife and i are trying to become debt free. completley debt free. so a ticket right now is not in the works. i do still spin the front wheels on wet days. living the old life.

vgod

As for me, I drive by braille.

While I am in the business of enforcing the law of the land, I tend to leave most of the traffic enforcement to rookies, traffic hounds, and state troopers (for different reasons). I used to do traffic enforcement a lot and while I only make a few traffic stops a week now days I do have some very specific ideas about the traffic laws and safe driving so here are some thoughts on the topic from a 'professional'.

Speed kills... the end. You can deny it all you want, but that it the truth of the matter. To deny it is to tell the laws of physics to piss-off and, well, the laws of physics really don't care what you think. Now you might have gone to Buck Baker Racing School or whatever, hell, you might just be Dale Earnhardt reincarnated for all I know, but just like Dale... one little tragic mistake at high speed and all the skill and knowledge out there isn't going to save you and neither are crumple zones, seatbelts and airbags.

Now, lets say you don't care about your own safety and you are the Mario Andretti of the Toyota Carrola... there are all the other motorists to think of. Thats why there are traffic laws... to protect the average driver. Yes the traffic laws have been created to cater to the lowest common denominator, but then almost every aspect of life caters to the lowest common denominator. Don't believe me? Go turn on your TV and you can actually FEEL yourself getting stupider.

I have been professionally trained to drive fast and I do... all the time. I worry about wrecking but I have learned where to push it and where to let off and I find myself letting off all the time. You see, the danger is in the circumstances you have no control over... for every truly skilled driver on the road there are 50 who aren't and they will kill you, I promise. The most dangerous of which are the ones who THINK they are great drivers. Thats not to mention road hazards like animals and debris. One of the finest officers and best drivers I have ever known was very nearly killed when he collided with a large piece of tire that came off of a tractor trailer. He was going about 110 in a caprice (I just dated myself badly there) and the detached cap jammed in his wheel well and sucked him off the road. He got a free helicopter ride, a six month stay in the hospital and a medical retirement. This guys knew what he was doing... he was an EVOC instructor and widely regarded and one of the best wheelmen in Washington state. He was fortunate enough to go off the road into a cow pasture and rolled to a stop without hitting anything.

Now lets say it s you driving your whatever. It's a warm night out and there isn't any traffic on the road the speed limit is 60, but you can handle a little more speed right, because speed doesn't kill, its just people who don't know how to drive and you (by God) you know how to drive... so you pick it up to eighty. Oh no Slick! There's that great big piece of exploded re-cap right in the middle of your lane... too bad you weren't going sixty because then you would not have been out-driving your headlights and would have seen it in time to avoid it. Darn. Now it's caught up between your tire and the A-arm in the wheel well and you can't turn anymore! Thank God there is a guard rail there. Oh, wait up Sparky, that guardrail can only stop your car at 60, not 80 so unfortunately your going over the side. Wait a minute you say... my seatbelt and airbag will save me! Well, they would if you were going to crash straight in to something, but it looks like you are going to hit a tree right on top of the roof of you car... Sound far fetched? Not at all, I assure you.

Thats just covering speed... there are so many other issues too, simple things like following too close, not wearing restraints, not signaling a turn or a pass, improper passing, failure to maintain essential equipment like tires, driving while tired, drunk, stoned, distracted... the list is endless.

I have a simple yardstick for writing tickets. I will not write anyone a ticket for things I find myself doing in my own personal car (my work car doesn't count) so I usually give people a 5 mile per hour over the speed limit slack before I stop and I have never actually written anyone a ticket for less than ten.

I think that one of the biggest problems out there is that people allow their egos to become involved in the whole driving process which seems odd to me. For most of the population driving is the most dangerous thing they do every day. For some people (maybe even most of them) it is the most dangerous thing they will ever do in their lives, but no one treats it that way. No one seems to understand that, or care.

I drive fast but carefull.

I keep my distance, trynot to bother other drivers and still try to make the best time.

Despite what the previous poster says about driving too fast I'm not worried on our redicilously well taken care of freeways. I tend to drive a little bit over the speed limit (around 10-20 km/h) depending on where it is I'm driving.

I try to respect others in traffic....so the only time I get annoyed is when people don't respect me.

For goodness sake let people check their rear view mirrors once every while and stay off the damn left lane if you're not passing anyone.

I routinely go 10 over on the highway, in my van. Thats just to stay with traffic though.

I will tailgate you if you are going ten under too, and a van can get close on the highway.

I am also one of those guys who doesn't merge two miles before the construction zone just because the sign say the lane will be ending. It's two miles away people if you filled both lanes and merged in politely at the orange barrels we would all get through faster and backups would be shorter. But keep moving over two miles back, I don't mind. I used to do it too, but then after timing it both ways I found out that I saved fifteen minutes for each construction site (there were three) on my usual commute one summer I adopted my current philosophy.

At the same time I will gladly move out of your way if you want to pass me. I expect the same courtesy.

I almost never talk on the phone and I make any call short and to the point if its necessary that I make or take it.

I'm also in a college town. I think it should be legal to bump pedestrians not in the cross walk especially if the jump out from between parked cars they are in college and here to learn after all. I once had to slam on my breaks to avoid hitting a girl who did just that, and she started pounding on MY hood and screaming at me . I popped it into neutral and floored it, she wet herself and moved